A family have been left with nothing but the clothes on their backs after fire ravaged their home.

The end-terraced property on Berth y Glyd, Old Colwyn, was left completely gutted by the Saturday morning blaze.

Now the community on the Peulwys Estate is rallying around to collect donations of clothes and money for a woman, named locally as Liz Heald, and her three children.

Neighbours described their horror as flames raged, forcing some members of the family to escape from an upstairs window.

Residents in the adjoining houses had to be evacuated as thick plumes of acrid black smoke billowed into the air.

Two youngsters and three adults - in their 20s, 30s and 80s - were taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation after the inferno, which was tackled by four fire engines and the aerial ladder platform at around 9.55am.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

One eye witness said: “The house is pretty much an empty shell, I’ve never seen anything like it, it’s been left completely gutted.

“It’s amazing that the houses on either side have escaped serious damage.

“Firefighters were damping down for a very long time because there was smoke pouring from the house for hours.

By the time the fire was out, the house was no more than two outer walls barely standing over a mountain of charred belongings.

It has since been cordoned off by fencing.

An appeal for items of clothing for the family has already seen scores of kind-hearted residents donating garments and money.

A fundraising page has also been set up called “Help Liz and the kids,” which has already reached more than £150.

Geraint Hughes from the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: “This incident highlights the importance of having working smoke alarms. The occupants in this case were extremely fortunate that the smoke alarm alerted them to the fire.”

A spokesman for the Ambulance Service said: “We sent three ambulances and a rapid response vehicle to Berth y Glyd after getting a call from the fire service at around 9.56am on Saturday.

“Five people were conveyed to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd including a male in his 80s, a female in her 30s, a male in his 20s and two children.

“They were taken to hospital for precautionary check-ups and some to be treated for smoke inhalation.”